10 Things You Must Eat to be a True Chicagoan

Eat This Chicago!

If you think all it takes to be a Chicagoan is housing a couple of veggie-laden hot dogs or knife and forking your way through a slice of deep dish, you have a few things to learn. Chicago is home to so many diverse neighborhoods with rich foodways that their food traditions, like drinking punishingly bitter booze or dunking entire beef sandwiches in beef jus, may seem absurd to the uninitiated. While we can’t promise finishing this list will ensure you’re correctly pronouncing “SAH-sage,” you’ll certainly be on the righteous path.

Editor’s Note: As you read on, you may notice that aforementioned, highly contentious cheese and butter crust bomb is absent from this list, but before you angrily scroll to the comments to air your rage, know this: a lot of locals only eat deep dish when hosting their tourist friends.